President of the Society of Nigerian Broadcasters (SBN), Prof Umar Pate, has urged the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to reconsider licensing limits on university-run campus radio stations.
He said the restrictions were hindering training and professional growth within the broadcast sector.
Pate, also Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Kashere, made the appeal on Saturday in Kano during the SNB’s second annual national conference.
The conference had the theme, ‘Broadcasting Ethics and Professionalism in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.’
He said universities offering mass communication programmes faced long delays in securing licences despite meeting all required conditions.
According to him, campus radio and television stations act as laboratories for students, and withholding licences weakens future broadcasters’ competence.
“We appeal to the NBC not to treat universities as commercial operators. Our facilities are training laboratories,” he said.
He noted that with more than 1,000 broadcast stations and many online platforms, Nigeria must prioritise evidence-based reporting and public safety.
He warned that misuse of information in a fragile society could be “existentially threatening” and “toxic” if professionalism was abandoned.
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“Technology is reshaping the world. We either digitalise or become irrelevant. We must invest in equipment and intellectual capacity,” he added.
He praised Gov. Abba Kabir-Yusuf for hosting the event and supporting media development in Kano State.
He said the SNB aimed to improve broadcasters’ competence, confidence and ethical awareness for national development.
Kabir-Yusuf, represented by his spokesperson, Mr Sanusi Tofa, reaffirmed support for journalism and media training institutions.
He said Kano had strengthened infrastructure, revitalised training centres and sponsored students abroad to study specialised programmes.
He described Kano as “an emerging academic hub of Northern Nigeria” due to expanded educational opportunities.
He added that the state had concluded its memorandum for submission to the Senate Committee on Information on the NBC Act review.
Earlier, the Chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Ahmed Aminu, outlined the evolution of Nigerian broadcasting from the 1950s to the digital era.
He urged caution over misinformation risks linked to artificial intelligence, warning that irresponsible AI content could inflame tensions.
NAN reports that new members were inducted during the programme.
(NAN)